As part of the cooperation with Universal Music Group (UMG), TikTok was able to offer its users many songs by extremely popular artists from around the world. Musical hits are massively used on the platform to add color to videos published on the website, and some of them became popular thanks to their appearance on TikTok.
The end of music hits on TikTok? The publisher will not sign a new contract
However, this is most likely the end of the cooperation. In the release, Universal Music Group said it would withdraw from TikTok all songs that the label made available to the platform as part of the deal. It expires on Wednesday, January 31 this year, and a new one could not be signed because the two companies cannot reach an agreement, among others. regarding fees for the use of musical works.
Universal Music Group accuses TikTok of a lack of willingness to cooperate honestly, claiming that the website not only did not agree to the label’s new terms, but also “tried to force” it to sign a contract for an amount lower than that of the previous contract and much lower than the “fair market value “. The group says TikTok has offered to pay artists amounts “that are a fraction of the rate paid by major social media platforms with similar reach.” He adds that cooperation with TikTok does not bring any major benefits to the label itself, as it generates only about 1%. its total revenues.
UMG also wrote that TikTok does not take any actions that could protect artists from the negative actions of its users. The platform also allegedly did not want to protect singers from the “harmful effects of artificial intelligence”. Moreover, UMG accuses TikTok of trying to “intimidate” the label by “selectively removing music from some of our emerging artists,” even though the biggest hits of global stars remained on the platform.
TikTok is not in debt. “They put greed above the interests of artists”
TikTok has a completely different opinion on the matter. the social media site wrote that “it is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put its own greed above the interests of its artists and songwriters.” TikTok also accuses the group of “false narrative and rhetoric” and “selfish actions.”
At the same time, the social network stated that the contract with Universal Music Group was not extended due to the label’s fault. She added that TikTok was able to strike deals “with every other label and publisher” and UMG is losing “the powerful support of a platform with over a billion users.”
To sum up, if the two sides do not reach an agreement within the next several hours (and this is unlikely to happen), TikTok users will lose hundreds of their favorite songs. How will songs by Taylor Swift, Harry Styles or the new viral hit from TikTok – Murder on the Dancefloor – disappear from the platform’s library?
Source: Gazeta
Mabel is a talented author and journalist with a passion for all things technology. As an experienced writer for the 247 News Agency, she has established a reputation for her in-depth reporting and expert analysis on the latest developments in the tech industry.
